Goodness is About God in Us

”Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice.”
Psalm 95:1-7

As I came across this passage in Psalm 95, I had one of those moments where the Holy Spirit convicts you like a ton of bricks. The part that broke me was while I read “let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” My conviction was absent as I read most of the text until I came across the part about kneeling. As I tried to visualize kneeling humbly before the Lord I, began to weep. When in the past few weeks has my heart posture actually been focused on kneeling? I often shy away from the parts in my life that require me to actually posture myself as a servant. Even when I am at Church, a place where I should be going to focus on God in community, I want to be seen. I want to be praised, if even for how my hair looks, but more for the ways people view me. I want to be acknowledged for my ability to shepherd other women and speak truth into their lives. In these times I desire to stand next to God instead of face down before him.

Paul Washer says it well, “most of us in our hearts want to be called a servant, but none of us want to be treated like one.”  I like the idea of doing good things for the Lord, but I don’t like actually playing the part of a servant. The problem with me bowing before God in surrender is that I don’t want to because bowing takes the focus off me and onto God. It is humbling and bold and the sin in me says - “Sorry God, that’s a bit too dramatic, how about I courtesy instead?”

It is ridiculous of me to think I can worship God without actually giving my life to Him, but I do it every day. We cannot love God and others without Christ’s resurrected life working in us through the Holy Spirit. It is pointless to do more, try harder, be better if we are doing all of those “good” things for selfish gain or to earn God’s approval. We are not saved by our works, but saved so we can do a life of good works. It is when we humbly allow God to work in us through his grace that we can do anything that is considered good.

Questions to Ponder: 

1. What things do you do that make you feel good about yourself?

2. Do you believe that God is working through you to do good works?

3. What have you yet to surrender to God, or what things in your life do you have to continually surrender to God?

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 95